Originally Posted by Leigh:
Our prisons and jails are overfull. No one serves their sentence because there are too many incoming prisoners. Someone who should serve 25 years is getting out in 2.5. People sentenced to 1 year in county jail are serving DAYS instead of months or years. Taxpayers don't want to pay for more prisons and staff for them, but they want criminals to serve their sentence. Unfortunately, we can't have it both ways. If we want dangerous criminals in prison, we have to be willing to pay to house them.
I also think that a comment someone else made previously in this thread is important.....
"all that time in prison did nothing"
I believe MORE efforts need to be put into rehabilitation of those serving time. If they are in jail/prison for something that warrants it, I believe the old methods of labor camps and good old fashion hard work would be useful for not only the state but the prisoner.
Like discipline methods in child care...
When a certain method does not work to curb or eliminate unwanted behaviors, we look to find something that does work.
Right now, serving time alone does not work. If it did, we would not have so many repeat offenders.
As a country, we need to find ways that stop people from reoffending. The punishment/consequence needs to be effective enough to stop repeated behaviors. Right now, serving time in prison seems to be easy. Food, clothing, shelter, TV, internet, education options, "recess", social hours etc....
I know those that are serving time will disagree but if it's so bad, why do people continue to reoffend? Statistics say that the average prisoner serving time is serving time for the 3rd (or more) time.
IMHO, that is where the issue lies.
We wouldn't have to find the funding to continue housing criminals if prison was somehow effective enough to stop them from wanting to reoffend.